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Wave Reviews

4.4 (1,631) Write a Review! Canada Local product

About Wave

Automate key invoicing & bookkeeping tasks and get more time for what you love with Wave’s small business software. Try for free today!

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Pros:

Since it is free, I expected customer service to be non-existent, but they do respond and resolve issues through their messaging system. You can also share info with your accountant.

Cons:

It was disappointing when UK bank syncing stopped. Would prefer more options on personal designs for Invoices and Receipts.

Wave ratings

Average score

Ease of Use
4.4
Customer Service
4.0
Features
4.2
Value for Money
4.6

Likelihood to recommend

8.4/10

Wave has an overall rating of 4.4 out 5 stars based on 1,631 user reviews on Capterra.

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Filter reviews (1,631)

Reece
Reece
Founder in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Nonprofit Organization Management, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Wave - Perfect for New Businesses

5.0 3 months ago

Comments: Wave has been wonderful, I use it to manage my accounting, and also invoice. I imagine that in the future I would use it for payroll as well. All of this is done with no monthly charge, and a very fair charge for ACH payments on my invoices.

Pros:

It can do pretty much anything that QuickBooks can do, but it can be used for free! This was perfect for when I was setting up the back-end of my entrepreneurial business.

Cons:

It required a bit of learning to use, I was used to QuickBooks, and some of the language, UI, and functions look or work differently. After this initial period it has become perfectly simple and useful.

Bryan
Owner in US
Professional Training & Coaching, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

One of the best SMB accounting tools out there

5.0 3 months ago

Comments: I'm not an accountant by any means, but I know most failed businesses fail because of poor accounting practices; Wave made it easy for me to track due invoices as well as my costs to make sure I kept running in the black and made me look super professional.

Pros:

As a SMB or sole-consultant Wave takes all the annoyances of invoicing and tracking payments in/out super simple.

Cons:

I've honestly not run into an Cons while using Wave (formerly "Wave Accounting).

Markus
Founder in US
Music, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

A simple-to-use accounting platform for small businesses

5.0 3 weeks ago New

Comments: I am not a professional accountant but I am able to do simple bookkeeping for my two small businesses myself - thanks to Wave. Invoices can be uploaded in a very intuitive way and connecting outside banking accounts is easy and works very well.

Pros:

Wave is an easy-to-use accounting software. Even people who are not accountants, like myself, can use it. I am a small business owner who does his accounting. The best part is - Wave offers the option to run multiple businesses through the same account. It's very convenient. I simply switch from one business to another without having to log into another account.

Cons:

Many things I did not like about Wave have been fixed over the years. It was mostly performance issues, but they've all been addressed now.

Theresa
CEO in US
Consumer Services, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source
Source: SoftwareAdvice

Disappointed

3.0 5 months ago

Comments: I am disappointed in that I was hoping for an accounting software AND a payment solution all in one. I am unfortunately now looking for a new payment solution. Support just provided scripted responses. They don't seem to care to escalate anything on your behalf. Receiving your money in a timely manner as a small business means everything!

Pros:

I like the ease of use. Very user friendly. I moved from QB Pro to Wave because of the extreme increase in pricing QB imposed.

Cons:

You can't convert a percentage of an estimate to an invoice (industry norm). You must wait 7 BUSINESS DAYS to receive a bank (ACH) payment. Every single ACH payment I have received from my clients has taken EXACTLY 7 business days while their website states it takes 2-7 business days. Not truthful at all. They also charge 1% with NO cap - and they still hold onto your money! Unbelievable!

Heather
Therapist in US
Mental Health Care, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Great accounting & invoicing tools for small businesses

5.0 3 months ago

Comments: positive! I've been using them for 5 years and have needed to reach out for personal help a couple of times. They are attentive and thorough even if you have to wait a little bit. The chat function is pretty thorough & helpful too.

Pros:

User friendly, pretty easy to figure out how to do things, simple interface, the free plan offers a lot of tools

Cons:

The process for automatically categorizing payments and income doesn't work as smoothly as it could. Their AI tool is alright but makes mistakes. When you use their native Checkouts tool for collecting payments, they are categorized in a way that you cannot fully edit.

Allison
Owner in US
Marketing & Advertising, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Great for personal and small business!

4.0 last month New

Pros:

I like that there's a pretty robust free version and I can use it for both personal and business use. I can also link multiple business Wave accounts under a single login.

Cons:

I sometimes have trouble reconciling credit card payments within the app.

Balazs
Designer in Hungary
Design, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Transparent, great!

4.0 3 weeks ago New

Pros:

I like it because easy to overview your payments in this app.

Cons:

I dont have negative experiences with Wave

Jérôme
Financial analyst in France
Financial Services Software, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Take the Wave!

4.0 2 months ago New

Comments: Very straight forward and easy to getting to know

Pros:

Quick and easy invoicing tool that allows online payment

Cons:

Limited options to use for al types of customers

Quantieshia
CEO in US
Entertainment, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: Free Trial
Reviewer Source

Wave review

5.0 last month New

Pros:

I like that I was able to send employees their paperwork. I also like how easy it is to create invoicing.

Cons:

I don’t have any cons as of yet but I will continue to use it

Marianne
User in US
Leisure, Travel & Tourism, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Wave Review

5.0 last month New

Comments: We use Wave to pay one of our contacting parties and it’s easy and secure.

Pros:

Making payments was easy to use and secure.

Cons:

I have not found any issues with using this product.

Clyde
Pastor in Bahamas
Nonprofit Organization Management, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

The Best Cost Efficient Accounting Software

5.0 11 months ago

Comments: It was an excellent experience in all aspects, particularly when it came to creating the relevant financial reports

Pros:

The software was a savior for our organization, as we needed something easy to understand, practical, and to be able to access and management from an online system. Wave accounting was above and beyond the best accounting software we had used to date. My absolute favorite accounting software!

Cons:

Setting up the account initially was a challenging process, as the navigation was a bit difficult.

DAYNA
Accountant in US
Consumer Goods, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Excellent Free Software for Small Businesses

5.0 8 months ago

Comments: Extremely easy to use and a perfect first software for service based businesses that don't want to pay for Quickbooks yet.

Pros:

- Free - Cloud based - Easily customizable/brandable invoicing and reports

Cons:

It does not do costing per order or inventory management as far as I'm aware.

Sheila
owner in US
Consumer Services, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Wave Accounting is the absolute best

5.0 last year

Comments: Our experince with this program has been great and we would not use another program. Our administrative staff has been able to use the program with minimal training. We love the program and will continue to use it.

Pros:

Wave is a simply to use accounting program that allows us to create invoice, receive payemnts, view and print reports and keep up with money that is owed to us. We are able to use this program for all of our accounting and bookkeeping needs. It is so easy to use and the product support is superior to other accounting programs.

Cons:

There is nothing not to like about this program

Donald
Executive Technical Director in US
Construction, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Online Invoicing Program

5.0 5 months ago

Comments: Invoice creation and processing requires zero manual processes with Wave.

Pros:

Wave has robust features that enables me to eradicate manual processes during data entry in various aspects such as bank reconciliation, AP and AR.

Cons:

I have never come across any error on the pro plan.

Kevin
Owner in Canada
Marketing & Advertising, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Our business runs on Wave

3.0 7 months ago

Pros:

Free to use most features. Professional looking branded invoices.

Cons:

Lack of support on the free tier. confusing to set up for non accountants.

NISHA
PIC in US
Pharmaceuticals, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

GREAT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

5.0 7 months ago

Pros:

PROS- ease of recurring billing, saves information for each company or customer needed to be sent invoices, you're able to change pricing for each product or service you are billing for

Cons:

It is all online so you need to keep track of everything via internet

Robert
ceo in US
Accounting Software, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source
Source: SoftwareAdvice

Worst Customer Service EVER

1.0 3 months ago

Comments: Horrid. Eventually you will have a question and need help. Even with the 16 dollar per month they were completely un helpful and dismissive. All you have is chat that they send you pre written script blurbs. While the chat people are PC your in a hell of where they can not do anything.
It was like calling 911 and instead of someone sending help they just sit there and say "Oh that sounds bad, I understand, Golly darn."

Pros:

At first it was useful. Glitchy but free.

Cons:

Customer Service Help Desk The non existent manager No phone to call even with a paid membership

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Environmental Services, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source
Source: GetApp

Great for starting out

4.0 5 months ago

Pros:

This free option for accounting is amazing for starting up your small business. Easy to use, excellent options for sharing with accounting professionals, optional add ins to extend usability. The reconciliation features are the best I’ve tried.

Cons:

Navigating from one area to Another can be clunky and invoicing can be tedious for adding a new customer. I wish annoperional anonymous guest

Luiza
Owner in Romania
Newspapers, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Accounting done wright

5.0 8 months ago

Comments: Great software, everything worked as it should be, support is fast and really helps you.

Pros:

Perfect accounting software for a small business and someone with less to none accounting knowledge. Creating unlimited estimates and invoices even on the free plan is the greatest feature.

Cons:

No cons here, worked flawless for me and my small business.

John
Managing General Partner in US
Human Resources, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source
Source: SoftwareAdvice

Wave accounting is the worst.

1.0 9 months ago

Comments: Wave accounting is the worst. We are a niche recruiting firm. We receive large payments via ACH and Credit card. My first (and last) payment with Wave is the result of them holding my money for 7 business days, and on the 6th is retroactively asking me for information. After already approving my payments and invoicing, they get money and are now holding it. They want me to send them a copy of my contract with terms and conditions- again retroactively while holding my money. Over $20K is sitting there, for services I have already rendered, and I cannot collect it. Whats worse, I cannot call a supervisor- they must call me. I am researching a class action lawsuit so if anyone has had this same experience with Wave let me know. In the meanwhile, don't use Wave, and if you receive large ACH's Quickbooks can be paid for with 1 ACH fee- the charge a MAX of 1% or $10 (whichever is lower) Those fees add up.

Pros:

To start with it is free; nice layout and ease of use

Cons:

Their payment system and complete lack of customer service. You cannot speak with a human unless they call you. They charge too much for ACH transactions and do not have the requisite service to go with their charges. One ACH fee could pay for Quickbooks (better system) for a year.

Md. Sakiul
Accountant in Bangladesh
Accounting Software, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Wave Accounting: Very user friendly accounting solution for the small businesses.

5.0 last year

Pros:

1) Easy to use 2) Free of cost for the accounting services 3) Highly recommended for the small business.

Cons:

Not possible to download the bank/credit card transactions those are processed through bank.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Photography, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

full featured small business accounting but with some drawbacks.

4.0 last year

Comments: The program was easy to learn and implement, making my small business financial records more in order.

Pros:

I like using Wave for my small business accounting needs. I have pretty simple needs and don't hire an external book keeper so Wave fits them perfectly and makes tax time much easier than before.

Cons:

Wave has been down a lot lately, which can be frustrating. I only use it for expense tracking, ledgers, and general accounting, so I don't access it as often as if I used invoicing, etc. I've read that most bookkeepers want your data in QuickBooks, so I could see issues with external collaborators.

Brittany
Good software with paid add ons in US
Photography, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Free accounting software w lots of add ons

4.0 6 months ago

Pros:

It is very easy to create invoices, sent to customers, and receive online credit card payments.

Cons:

This used to be a very robust free platform, but now they make you pay for some of the best features of the service such as capturing and coding receipts. It used to be free, now you have to pay for it.

Tembi Gray Google NUMBER
Executive Director in US
E-Learning, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Wave delivers

5.0 5 months ago

Comments: Overall, my experience using Wave was good. The platform is not difficult and it's pretty straight forward to use.

Pros:

What I like most about Wave is the user-friendly platform and the convenience of their app. It is also very easy to send out invoices and get paid.

Cons:

Honesty, I don't have anything that I least liked. Wave delivered and gave me what we needed for our business.

Michael
Owner in US
Entertainment, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Made for small businesses and entrepreneurs

5.0 last year

Comments: I would definitely recommend Wave to any other small business owner. It even works with other currency if you need that feature. It's worked great for us and it didn't take me long to figure out how to use it.

Pros:

The best thing about Wave is that a lot of things it does are free. What you do have to pay for is a good price and well worth it. The dashboard on Wave is great, easy to acess and use. You also get a very thorough invoice and transaction management feature. Wave is double entry and comes with payroll too. There's live support and training available.

Cons:

I wish I could change the invoices more but you're pretty much limited to whats there. I also thought it was weird that you have to pay to upload receipts. Ive never had to do that before.